Weekly Top 5: Organic News Your Need to Know

DanoneWave has new CEO

Danone S.A. said Lorna Davis has been replaced as CEO of its new DanoneWave subsidiary, which runs the Horizon organic dairy, Wallaby organic yogurt, and Earthbound Farm organic produce brands. Paris, France-based Danone (OTCQX:DANOY), the world's largest yogurt maker with annual sales of €22 billion ($24 billion), formed DanoneWave by combining its North American dairy operations, which largely included its Dannon brand, with the operations of The WhiteWave Foods Company, which it acquired in April for $12.5 billion.

Read more here.

OPN CEO Seeley Talks Organics at PMA

Matt Seeley, the CEO of the Organic Produce Network, conducted an educational session on trends in the organic produce sector during last week’s Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit.  Seeley and a trio of retailers dissected the category discussing challenges and opportunities.

Read more here.

Organic Farmers Reject Hydroponics with 16 Protest Rallies

Organic farmers have organized 16 rallies to date to protest the continued certification of hydroponic or aquaponic produce as organic. A major rally has been organized on October 31 at the Jacksonville, Florida, meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, at which it is assumed the issue of organic hydroponics will be discussed.

Read more here.

Challenges Large Operations Face in Organic Vegetable Production

Organic vegetable production in Monterey County has evolved over the past 25 years. It was once the domain of small- to medium-sized growers that produced for local direct market outlets or direct sales to local retail outlets. The community of smaller growers is still quite active, however, in the mid-1990’s larger scale producers began to produce organic vegetables for distant mass markets. Some highlights of the main challenges include: downy mildew of spinach, bagrada bug, weeds, and fertilizer. 

Read more here.

King Fresh Acquires Carillo Organic Farms

Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, King Fresh Produce LLC owner has acquired Carrillo Organic Farms a producer of table grapes in Fresno, Calif. Carrillo Organic Farms was established in 1984, currently farms 38 acres which was certified for organic crops by CCOF in 1987, and then certified for handling in 2015. The Dinuba, Calif-based King Fresh, founded in 1933, maintains vineyards and farms on 3,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley, growing table grapes, cherries, and citrus.

Read more here.

"Organic pumpkins have had a crazy good yield with great quality and the demand has followed throughout the season."

Michele Youngquist, Bay Baby Produce, Inc./ AMF Farms